Aftermath
by PotterheadHeartbeats
Summary: Harry builds a life post-Hogwarts and post-Voldemort. This will hopefully be a REALISTIC Harmony fanfic that sticks mostly to canon unlike the ones I have read so far. There will be NO Ron or Ginny bashing in this story. Summaries always suck, just give it a chance!
1. Chapter 1

_Hey Guys!_

_So I wanted to write a story that is centered around Harry and Hermione as a romantic pairing. Every Harry/Hermione fanfic I have read so far makes me cringe. The authors make everyone so out of character and I can never finish reading them because the story just isn't believable. Another thing I really hate about Harry/Hermione fanfics is people always want to make Ron either gay or abusive to get him out of the picture. I don't plan on doing that. I want you to be able to read my fanfiction and believe it because you can imagine the characters actually saying these things. Ron will still be in the story and he will not be portrayed as a villain. You may be wondering what will come of Ginny but I have, what I believe, is a realistic reason for why she and Harry aren't together as well. She will NOT be portrayed as a sl*t in order for Harry and Hermione to get together and there will be no cheating surrounding the Harry/Hermione pair.  
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_-M :)_

_P.S. I wrote this first chapter with a lot of help from the Harry Potter Wiki on The Battle of Hogwarts Aftermath and some of the end dialogue is from the book since these events took place in Deathly Hallows. I don't own any of these characters, that honor goes to J.K. Rowling. Please review and let me know what you think!_

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Harry managed to stand. The events that transpired mere moments ago replayed in his head. Voldemort was gone. His heart was still beating irregularly as he slowly made his way back up to the castle. _I need to find Ron and Hermione. _That was his first thought. He needed to find them; they needed to know that he was okay. He needed to tell them what had happened.

Harry took a deep breath before he entered the castle. There were cots lined all along the walls of the Entrance Hall, spilling into the Great Hall. So many had died, even more were injured. Madam Pomfrey rushed about from cot to cot, doing her best to help all of the wounded. Professors McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, Trelawney, and Slughorn were busy comforting students and assisting Madam Pomfrey. Harry tried not to attract attention but Slughorn seemed to notice him at once.

"Harry!" He called loudly and everyone else in the Great Hall turned to see Harry standing there. All at once, it seemed, the Great Hall erupted into roars and cheers. They were safe. Voldemort was gone. Harry didn't smile, his eyes searched desperately for Ron and Hermione. He didn't want to be there. He knew Tonks and Remus' cold, lifeless bodies lay just a few feet from where he was standing. Although he didn't look, he knew Fred lay dead, six cots down from Colin Creevey. Everyone thundered toward him at once, wrapping their arms around him and shouting joyously. The noise was deafening. Harry felt a bit like a rag doll in the crowd as people seized onto him and pulled him this way and that. It seemed everyone was determined to hug or at least touch some part of The Boy Who Lived on that momentous occasion. They thought of him as their leader, he was the reason it was all over.

Harry recognized some of the faces in the crowd, those that were up at the front: Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Kingsley, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, and even Professor Sprout though there were hundreds more. Ron was noticeably absent. Harry glanced at Hermione in question but her eyes wouldn't quite meet his. Harry managed to get away, with some help from Hagrid, after about half an hour had passed.

"Fred, Tonks, Remus, Colin Creevey, and fifty others died fighting him." Kingsley said, answering Harry's unspoken question. Harry sat down beside Kingsley as he continued "There is news that the Imperiused all over the nation have come back to normal. The Death Eaters have fled, some have been captured and the others are being tracked down as we speak. The innocents in Azkaban are currently being released as well." Kingsley said.

"But how? Who is making all of this happen? The Minister is dead and we haven't had elections yet." Harry said.

"I have been named the interim Minister of Magic." Kingsley said humbly.

Harry managed a small smile "I hope it's more than just temporary, congratulations." Harry shook Kingsley's hand.

Professor McGonagall had replaced all of the House tables and yet everyone had chosen to stay jumbled together, giving no thought to who was in what House. Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and Hufflepuffs were all sitting together. Harry made his rounds around the Great Hall. He spoke to those that had lost loved ones and visited with the injured. He felt a bit useless really; he knew nothing he said would bring back the dead or take away their pain. It wasn't the first time that night that he felt a pang of guilt.

Harry couldn't bear to face Mr. and Mrs. Weasley again. They had embraced him and told him that they were proud of him, immediately after Voldemort's defeat. Harry wished they would have yelled at him, jinxed him, cursed him, anything but react the way they did. It was his fault that Fred was dead and yet they acted like he wasn't to blame.

Harry entered a small classroom that he knew Remus and Tonks had been moved in to. He sunk to his knees beside Remus and could feel his eyes sting with unshed tears. Remus's hand lay inches away from Tonks'. "I'm sorry." Harry whispered into the darkness. His guilt worsened when he thought of little Teddy, who would never see his parents again. He would be raised as an orphan because of Harry. Harry put Tonks' hand in Remus's before leaving the room. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn't think he was capable of seeing Fred yet or facing George.

Harry reentered the Great Hall. Exhausted and drained, he sat down beside Luna; the one person he knew would sit with him in complete silence, comfortably. Luna put her cool hand on Harry's and squeezed it gently in solidarity but said nothing and Harry was grateful. Unfortunately, Harry's moment of peace didn't last long. A crowd of admirers made their way toward him. "I'll distract them." Luna said in a whisper and once again Harry felt a rush of appreciation for her.

"Ooohh! Look! A Blibbering Humdinger!" Luna cried as she pointed out the window. Harry heard murmurs of confusion as everyone who heard her turned in the direction she was pointing. People craned their necks curiously, all trying to get a glimpse of the mysterious creature. Harry wasted no time; he ducked under his Invisibility Cloak, disappearing completely and instantly felt the weight of responsibility being lifted off his shoulders. By the time the crowd turned back to where Harry had stood before, he was gone.

As Harry made his way out of the Great Hall he could see Ginny, two tables away, with her head resting on Mrs. Weasley's shoulder. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Neville sitting at the Gryffindor table. Neville was eating, the sword of Gryffindor lying beside him next to his plate. Neville was surrounded by a knot of his own fervent admirers. Harry's happiness dissipated as soon as it came, when his mind focused again on all of the deaths. He passed Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco on his way out of the Hall. They were huddled together, with Kingsley keeping a close eye on them. Harry was still wondering where Ron had gotten off to. He hadn't seen Ron since he had told him and Hermione that he was going into the Forbidden Forest to give himself up.

Thankfully, Harry managed to find Hermione as he walked into the Entrance Hall. Harry reached out and grabbed her arm; Hermione very nearly screamed. "Harry! Don't do that!" she said, some of the color returning to her face. Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak over her, concealing both of them.

"Where's Ron?" Harry asked in a hushed voice as he led Hermione up the marble staircase. There were chunks missing from the staircase, part of the balustrade was gone, and there was rubble crunching underfoot with every step. Bloodstains occurred with every few steps that they climbed and they could hear Peeves singing loudly "We did it! We bashed them, wee Potter's the one! And Voldy's gone moldy, so now let's have fun!" He cackled as he zoomed past them, showering everything in confetti.

"He was with George and…Fred, when I last saw him." Hermione looked disturbed. "He hasn't said a word; he's been sitting there for hours. Mrs. Weasley tried to get him to eat but he refused. He won't sleep or talk to anyone."

Harry felt another pang of guilt and that combined with the pain of losing Fred, Remus, and Tonks was absolutely unbearable. It pierced Harry like a physical wound every few steps and all he wanted to do was sleep, he knew however, that he owed Hermione an explanation. She had stuck with him through everything and she deserved the truth. Harry painstakingly recounted everything to Hermione who listened attentively. He told her what he had seen in the Pensieve and he told her what had happened in the forest.

Harry and Hermione stopped in front of the stone gargoyle guarding the headmistress' study, sometime later. The gargoyle had been knocked aside and looked worse for wear. When they asked if they could go up, it simply groaned in assent, not even bothering to ask for a password.

Harry stepped over the gargoyle and onto the spiral stone staircase that led up to what was now Headmistress McGonagall's office. He offered his hand to Hermione, to help her over the rubble littering the floor. The staircase began moving like an escalator and, when they reached the top, Harry pushed the door to the study open.

There was an earsplitting noise from inside the study, startling both Harry and Hermione. He whipped out the Elder Wand, searching for Death Eaters but instead saw that the noise was coming from the walls which were covered with portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses. They were applauding loudly and giving him a standing ovation. They waved their hats and in some cases their wigs, they reached through their frames to grip each other's hands, and they danced up and down on the chairs in which they had been painted.

Hermione lowered her hands from her ears and glanced at Harry who had long since lowered the Elder Wand. He was looking at the largest portrait, directly behind the Headmistress' chair, where Professor Dumbledore was staring back at him. Tears were sliding down from behind Dumbledore's half-moon spectacles into his long silver beard, and both Harry and Hermione could feel the pride and gratitude emanating from him.

At last, Harry held up his hands and the portraits fell respectfully silent, beaming and mopping their eyes and waiting eagerly for him to speak but when he finally did they looked more than a little confused.

"The thing that was hidden in the Snitch, I dropped it in the forest, I don't know exactly where but I'm not going to go looking for it again. Do you agree?" Harry asked Dumbledore.

"My dear boy, I do." Dumbledore said. The headmasters and headmistresses on the walls exchanged curious glances. "A wise and courageous decision but no less than I would have expected of you. Does anyone else know where it fell?"

"No one." Said Harry and Dumbledore nodded his satisfaction. "I'm going to keep Ignotus's present though."

Dumbledore beamed and said "But of course Harry, it is yours forever, until you pass it on."

"And then there's this." Harry said as he held up the Elder Wand. "I don't want it. I know it's powerful but I was happier with mine." Harry rummaged around in the pouch hung around his neck and pulled out the two halves of holly still just connected by the finest thread of phoenix feather. Harry knew that if this didn't work then nothing would and as Hermione watched skeptically, he laid the broken wand upon the Headmaster's desk. He touched his wand with the very tip of the Elder Wand and said "Reparo." Harry's wand resealed itself and red sparks flew out of its end. Hermione knew he had succeeded. Harry picked up his wand and felt a sudden warmth in his fingers, as though wand and hand were rejoicing at their reunion.

"I'm putting the Elder Wand back where it came from. It can stay there. If I die a natural death like Ignotus, its power will be broken won't it? The previous master will never have been defeated, that'll be the end of it."

Dumbledore nodded and they both smiled at each other. Harry glanced at Hermione and she nodded, accepting his decision as the right thing to do.

As they left the study, Hermione said "Off to bed with you, you look about ready to drop."

"I'll just walk you downst-" Harry began but Hermione interrupted him.

"Harry, I'm perfectly capable of walking myself. Go rest." Hermione then gave Harry a gentle push in the direction of the stairs. "I'll see you in the morning."

Harry nodded but before he climbed the stairs he turned back toward his friend and pulled her into a warm embrace. Hermione returned the hug and they stood that way for a few seconds. Being there, together, it felt good. In that moment they had no worries. Harry pulled back and smiled at her "I'll see you in the morning." He then headed up to the seventh floor and made a beeline for the Gryffindor common room.

Harry entered the dormitory and made his way past Neville's bed and to his own four-poster bed. He removed his glasses before collapsing on the bed, not even bothering to change. Within minutes, he was asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry was woken up early the next morning. "What's going on?" Harry said groggily as he groped the table beside him for his glasses. He could faintly see Neville sleeping in the bed next to his and he could hear Seamus snoring from across the room. It was Hermione who had woken him up; she was standing near Ron's unoccupied bed.

"This is the perfect opportunity to visit Dumbledore's tomb, while everyone is still asleep. We can slip out unnoticed." Hermione said and Harry noticed that her eyes were red, from lack of sleep.

He sat up and said "Have you slept at all since I last saw you?"

"I've been with Ron." Hermione said before announcing that Harry should get ready so they could get going. She left the dormitory before Harry even had a chance to ask about Ron again. Harry walked into the seventh year boys' bathroom and splashed his face with a bit of cold water. He brushed his teeth and headed down to the common room. He found Hermione curled up in a squashy armchair by the fire. Lee Jordan had cried himself to sleep at one of the tables in the back of the common room, a table he usually occupied with Fred and George.

Harry made his way over to Hermione, careful not to disturb Katie, who was asleep on one of the sofas near them. Hermione got up when she saw him and together they left the Gryffindor common room. The castle was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"We'll have to be careful when we get downstairs." Hermione whispered. "Most of those who spent the night are still asleep." As they passed a window, Harry saw that it was still dark; they had risen even before the sun.

"Hermione…" Harry began as they walked down the marble staircase.

Hermione knew what was on his mind. "Let's stay focused on the task at hand for the moment, Harry."

"You can't hide the truth from me forever! I think we both know that so why don't you just tell me what's going on." Harry was determined this time. "No more changing the subject and no more vague responses. I just want you to be honest with me."

"Ron…he, you know how he is Harry! It will pass; I know it will it's just a shock to his system. He doesn't mean it, you're his best friend-" Hermione said earnestly and Harry felt a heavy weight settle in his stomach.

"He blames me for Fred." Harry said in a quiet voice. It was, of course, his fault. If he had given himself up sooner, Voldemort would have called off his forces and Augustus Rookwood wouldn't have been in the castle to cause the explosion that killed Fred.

"Harry, don't you dare blame yourself! You aren't at fault and Ron will come around, you'll see. The pain is still new to him and he wants someone to direct his anger at but he'll come around. Once the shock wears off, he'll be back to his old self." Hermione searched Harry's face, desperate for some sign that she had gotten through to him but there was none.

If Ron felt this way, Harry could only imagine how the rest of the Weasleys felt. "Harry…" Hermione said as she placed her hand on his arm and looked at him anxiously. Harry shook his head; he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

They made their way out of the castle, under the Invisibility Cloak. As they walked past the Great Hall, Harry could see Ron sleeping on the floor beside George. Mrs. Weasley was quietly crying again as she tended to a wounded Angelina Johnson, who looked maddened with grief. Harry and Hermione made their way down to the Black Lake and walked along the shore. They found Dumbledore's tomb within a cluster of trees.

Hermione gasped when she first laid eyes on the tomb. It was cracked from head to foot and the sheet that had once covered Dumbledore's body, had been thrown carelessly aside. Harry's eyes hardened in anger at the desecration of Dumbledore's grave.

Hermione circled the tomb, surveying the damage, her mind working a mile a minute as she sifted through various charms and spells that she thought would be helpful in repairing the marble tomb. The sheet that had covered Dumbledore's body when he had been encased in the tomb was torn and dirty. Harry lifted it off the floor and brushed some of the dirt off. He drew his wand and mended the holes in it and then used the Tergeo charm to siphon the mud and dirt off of the cloth. When he was satisfied with his work he looked up to see that Hermione had already started making repairs. Harry put the Elder Wand back inside of the tomb before stepping back and allowing Hermione to reseal it. Neither of them looked down at the body inside.

Harry conjured a bouquet of flowers and set them on the tomb. They had a moment of silence in honor of Dumbledore and then headed back up to the castle.

"There's going to be a ceremony for the fallen tomorrow evening, before they're put to rest." Hermione said. "We're all going back to The Burrow later today. Most families have already left the castle to make preparations for their loved ones."

"I'll pick up my things before everyone gets back to the house." Harry didn't want to force his presence on them, especially Ron. He knew that he needed to give Ron time _and_ space.

"Where will you go?" Hermione asked. She didn't press him on the issue of staying at The Burrow. She knew that Ron was in a volatile state and the last thing she wanted was for them to get into a fight.

"Grimmauld Place. Sirius left it to me; I might as well make use of it." Harry replied.

"But are you sure it's safe? I have no doubt that Yaxley revealed the location to the Death Eaters." Hermione said as they neared the castle.

"The Death Eaters are either on the run, in Azkaban, or dead, with the exception of the Malfoys. The probability of them hanging around Grimmauld Place isn't very high." Hermione still looked worried. Harry smiled and said "Don't worry; I'll be careful." She left him a few minutes later to check in on the Weasleys.

Harry checked his watch, it was half past seven. After dropping by Professor McGonagall's office, he stopped by the Gryffindor common room to pick up his rucksack and Invisibility Cloak. He had let her know that he'd be back the next morning for the meeting the Order was having.

Harry walked out of the castle and slipped out of the gates. Once he was beyond the defensive wards, he apparated to the Burrow. He walked through the garden and up the steps leading to the Weasley's kitchen door. He almost tripped on a pair of Wellington boots that were lying carelessly on the top step. The door was unlocked.

Harry was shocked at the state of the Burrow. The Death Eaters had raided the property-after the Weasleys had abandoned it to seek refuge at Muriel's home-and did their best to leave it in shambles. Harry hadn't noticed before, but the kitchen window was shattered and large shards of glass littered the floor. The kitchen chairs were broken and the kitchen table was blackened with scorch marks. As Harry went deeper into the house the damage just got worse and worse. The sofas and armchairs in the living room had been overturned, Mr. Weasley's wooden wireless set lay in pieces on the floor, and bricks from the fireplace were scattered all around the floor. Every bedroom had been ransacked. There were clothes strewn in the hallways and Harry had yet to see a window that wasn't broken. By the time he got up to Ron's bedroom, his blood was boiling. He knew it could have been worse, they could have burned the place down but it still enraged him to see such a violation of the Weasley's home. He felt the same anger that had flared inside of him at Dumbledore's tomb.

Harry grabbed a few things he had left lying around Ron's room, a jumper, a pair of trainers, and the enchanted razor that Bill and Fleur had given him on his seventeenth birthday. Once he had gotten everything into his trunk, he tapped it with his wand and shrunk it down to the size of shoe box. He had gotten better at shrinking objects but was nowhere near as good as Hermione, who could easily shrink large objects down to the size of a matchbox. Before he left the Burrow, he attempted to straighten it up as best as he could. He repaired every window in the house and manually flipped the armchairs and the sofa right side up. He lifted a lamp off the floor and set it back on the side table by the sofa; he fixed the kitchen chairs last and then neatly pushed them back into their places around the table. Harry wished he could have done more but unfortunately he wasn't as good at household spells as he'd like to be.

It was a quarter past ten when Harry apparated onto the step of 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry tapped the battered front door with his wand and stood back. He heard the usual loud metallic clicks and the clatter of a chain before the door creaked open. Harry stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him. The dust-formed Dumbledore didn't greet him when he entered, probably because Snape was dead and there was no more use for it. Harry waved his wand and the old-fashioned gas lamps along the walls of the long hall sputtered into life with a soft hissing noise. "Homenum Revelio" Harry said quietly with his wand raised. He felt nothing and knew there were no other humans present so he proceeded to recast and strengthen the protective enchantments on the property.

Harry walked to the door at the far end of the entry hall which opened to a narrow stone staircase. He walked down the stairs and ended up in the cavernous basement kitchen. "Kreacher?" Harry called into the silence. He heard a loud crack and Kreacher appeared before him. Harry was momentarily surprised that he hadn't been in his cupboard but then realized he must have been at Hogwarts.

"Master has come back home." Kreacher said happily, sinking into a deep bow.

"Yes and this will be my permanent residence as of now. Kreacher, I was wondering…I…er" Harry didn't quite know how to ask Kreacher. He still wasn't used to giving the elf orders. "I haven't had anything to eat in awh-" Harry had never been happier to be interrupted in his life.

"Master is hungry! Kreacher will prepare an early lunch." Kreacher said, immediately getting to work.

"Thanks, Kreacher. I'm going to go put my things upstairs and get washed up. I'll be down soon." Harry walked back up the stairs, his stomach growling ferociously at the thought of food. He headed up to the second landing of the house and to the bedroom that he and Ron had shared during his first stay at Grimmauld Place. The room looked the same albeit a bit messier. The room held two twin beds and a wardrobe, along with a wastebasket in the corner. Harry set his trunk down near the wardrobe and tapped it with his wand, restoring it to its normal size. The idea of a hot shower before lunch sounded extremely appealing. He opened his trunk and pulled out a pair of jeans and a scarlet jumper with a Golden Snitch on the front-Mrs. Weasley had knit him the jumper for Christmas-before heading down to the first landing bathroom.

Harry walked back into the basement half an hour later, drying his hair with the towel around his shoulders. "Kreacher has lots of work to do. The house needs cleaning and Kreacher will have to go out and get groceries." Harry smiled when he noticed that Regulus' locket still hung around the elf's neck. As Harry sat down at the table, Kreacher ladled thick onion soup into his bowl. It smelled delicious and upon tasting it, Harry concluded that it could rival Mrs. Weasley's. Kreacher had done his best to make something appetizing while working with what they had in the house and Harry appreciated it.

"It's delicious Kreacher, thanks." Harry said. Kreacher opened his cupboard door to straighten up his den and Harry grimaced at the nest of dirty blankets and rags that Kreacher slept in. When he finished his soup he decided he should get going to visit with Andromeda and Teddy. "Kreacher, I'd like you to move out of there" Harry gestured to the boiler room cupboard "and up into one of the rooms on the third landing. You can take your things up with you."

"As you wish, Master." Kreacher said and Harry wondered if secretly he was glad to leave the dingy little cupboard. Harry scribbled down a note allowing Kreacher access to his Gringotts vault, so the elf could withdraw money for groceries, before leaving the house.

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_That was chapter two! Reviews help me out greatly and thank you to whisperstarysky for the really sweet review that motivated me to upload this chapter. Some of the other reviews were really freaking me out and making me feel pressured but I guess I just have to roll with it. I appreciate constructive criticism so if you have any please let me know through PM or with a review but NO FLAMES please. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, followed, or favorited this story so far. See you in chapter three! :)_

_-M_


	3. Author's Note

To all "Aftermath" readers,

I want to take a moment to thank all reviewers that have given me words of encouragement for my first two chapters and I also want to thank any future reviewers with constructive criticism. I'd also like to take this time to address a few things. I have disabled all guest/anonymous reviews. I would rather people with actual fanfiction accounts review my story so that way I can PM you if I want to respond to your review. Anyway here are a few things I'd like you to keep in mind…

1. If you don't ship Harry/Hermione and you don't want to have an open mind to their pairing, don't read the story. I don't know why people even bother clicking on Harmony fanfics if they only like canon pairings or if they are die-hard Romione fans. I mean what's the point of wasting your time?

2. If you aren't planning on continuing on with the story, you don't actually have to tell me this in the form of a review, just stop reading. Do you think I need to hear that you doubt you'll stick with me all the way or that you are going to "drop this story?" Read the story or don't read the story, that's completely up to you, but don't put a damper on a project that I started for fun.

3. I'm not trying to claim the title of best Harmony fanfic, as I said before, I'm just writing this for fun.

I want to finish this author's note up so I'll end with this…

I am now speaking to the Guest that said she/he can't see the Weasley's blaming Harry for Fred's death. I don't know what you're reading but clearly it's not what I'm uploading. Ron is the only Weasley that is blaming Harry for Fred's death. You were ranting about my doing a huge disservice to their family, etc., etc. but I never made it seem as though the other Weasleys were mad at Harry. In fact, the only interaction he's had with the Weasleys was in chapter one, with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and they embraced Harry and told him that they were proud of him-normal Molly and Arthur behavior. I know that the Weasleys aren't "petty" and I know Ron isn't either. I don't think Ron is being petty at all by blaming Harry for Fred's death, I think he's just grief-stricken. When you lose a loved one you go through a lot of different emotions and people handle death differently. You feel guilt, anger, denial, and you're a mess of emotions so Ron blaming Harry is a perfectly human thing to do, nothing to "wince" over. Ron is in a very dark place at the moment and he has a tendency to become sullen and lash out when he is upset (see Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows for evidence of this). Just please do me a favor and skip reading chapter three. It's clear that you don't want to give the story or the pairing a chance so at this point you are wasting both of our time.


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